Today was about just seeing where I’m at with less than 50 days to my first race.  I definitely didn’t set myself up for success running this at the end of a recovery week, and at 18 degrees. First off, I get stale quickly without any intensity in my training and secondly, I have never ran well in this type of cold.  My heart rate doesn’t elevate and it is truly a suffer fest to try and get any speed. For example, when I ran this in 2008 my avg HR was 170 Max 180.  Today, avg HR 163 Max 169 YIKES!  Might explain my very slow time of a 7:30 avg per mile.  What did I gain from today? I entered that area of “suffering” for the 2012 season.  Today it was very unfamiliar, but this will be a thing of the past very soon. On to the next one…. Enjoy your training =) www.tristafrancis.com